Jung Joon Young Pleads Guilty To All Charges, But Requests Settlement With Victims At First Hearing

Jung Joon Young pleads guilty to all charges of sexual content distribution, but requests legal settlement with victims during his first court hearing.
(Photo: Facebook/정준영-Joon Young Jung)

Former Superstar K4 placer Jung Joon Young recently pled guilty to charges of filming and illegal distribution of sexually explicit content on social media.

He has requested, through legal counsel, arrangements for settlement with victims during this first court hearing. Jung's lawyer said in behalf of his client that they were admitting to "all indicted charges" and were in agreement with "evidence presented."

The public had not expected Jung to be present at his hearing Friday, May 10, at the Seoul Central District Court, however, the former singer was present with his legal representative at the appointed time. The charges consist of eleven counts of filming as well as the distribution of sexually explicit content through social media.

As for the sexual assault allegations levelled against 30-year-old Jung, along with FT Island rock band leader Choi Jong-hoon, the former South Korean disc jockey's attorney requested that, once the charges are pressed, the schedule of hearings for the two cases hence be scheduled in a manner that will allow both to be heard concurrently.

However, presently, the latter case is still being investigated. The former TV personality, along with Choi, will face gang rape charges, pending the findings of the said investigation. The victim alleged that she was gang-raped by five men, including Jung and Choi. There has been no news on whether the other three men have been identified or charged.

Furthermore, Jung's attorney requested in his behalf that a court-appointed government representative be assigned to the "victims" in expectation of settlement agreements that the defendant hoped to make. The women who were filmed in the sexually explicit videos distributed did not know that they were being filmed at the time.

The appearance at court was a first of preliminary hearings of arguments from both sides to come at a decision of how to proceed with the future hearings. The violation for which the actor was charged was based on the government's Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

Jung was not obligated to be present at the aforementioned hearing. However, he opted to be face up to the charges leveled against him, as was "Mr. Kim" who is facing multiple charges of rape.

Kim was an employee of the Burning Sun nightclub in Seoul, South Korea, which had been closed down at the outset of the sex scandal in February this year.

After the preliminary hearing, the Ministry of Justice took note of the requests for joint trial and adjustment of schedule for Jung's additional case expected to be charged shortly.

A second hearing has been scheduled for June 14.

Jung was a cast member of the popular Korean television show 2 Days 1 Night. It is anticipated that his legal team will proceed by way of achieving a settlement with the victims of the illegally taken sex videos. This is so that the former celebrity may evade serving any jail time for the charges he faces.